11 Best Vacations for Kids Under 10

A couple of months before my daughter Katie turned 9, we hopped in the car for a day trip to Idlewild, a beautiful park in western Pennsylvania with a storybook theme. After about an hour of halfheartedly meandering around the Three Bears' house and exploring Jack & Jill's hill, Katie told me, "This would have been cute when I was younger!" She really was too old to be interested in—let alone excited by—most of the activities.

I had missed the boat, but you don't have to do the same. Here are 11 of the best vacations for kids under 10. Trust us: You'll want to take as many of these trips as you can.

The Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art

Located in Amherst, Massachusetts, The Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art is a fantastic attraction for kids 2 to 8 years old, where kids can create the most amazing projects. Some examples of creations your kids could make include:

• Tissue-paper collages (like the ones that grace the pages of Carle's works)
• Layered paper drawings
• A craft that relates to a special event or temporary exhibition

"My 6-year-old son, Jack, loved making the collages, and he's not typically interested in crafts," says Cindy Leahy, a mom of two in Marshfield, Massachusetts. "Our 2-year-old, Kate, played in the space's toddler area with artsy magnets and blocks."

The museum also has a library with thousands of picture books. Stop by there for staff-led storytime.

Don't miss an Instagram-worthy photo op outside the library: a giant, two-sided Very Hungry Caterpillar reading cubby. Take a scavenger hunt through galleries featuring Carle's original artwork, plus some from other picture-book creators.

Legoland Discovery Centers

Legoland Discovery Centers are like a cool children's museum and a must-visit for families with kids between the ages of 4 and 9. With locations in 14 US states and Toronto, Canada, you're likely to find one of these best vacation spots for kids nearby to woo little Lego fans with the following:

• Building contests
• Short 4-D movies
• Soft play areas
• Building workshops

Some locations also include a Lego Friends area, a Duplo section for toddlers, and a Star Wars exhibit.

"My 4-year-old can't get enough of the laser ride where he can zap villains in a dragon car," says Cheryl Eugenio, founder of the Chicago-based blog O the Places We Go.

Although tweens are into Legos, they may find the centers babyish. (If your kids love this experience, consider a subsequent trip to a Legoland Theme Park.)

The David F. Bolger Playspace

For your budding acrobat, try a visit to the David F. Bolger Playspace in Sarasota, Florida. This imaginative playground at The Ringling (of circus fame) is attached to its free Bayfront Gardens and is perfect for kids 3 to 8 years old. Designed by famous German manufacturer Richter Spielgeräte, the playground features:

• Basket-like swings
• Colorful Bouncing Flowers (aka mini trampolines)
• A three-story, 12-foot tunnel slide that kids climb up using nets and ladders

Toddlers will like the house with a small slide and splash area with a waterfall.

Children's Museum of Indianapolis

The Children's Museum of Indianapolis in Indianapolis, Indiana is the largest children's museum in the world with five stories of fun. It does a great job of engaging toddlers and pre-tweens (ages 2 to 9) in the same exhibit.

For instance, in the Dinosphere, a parent could help a 3-year-old try on a dinosaur costume while still keeping an eye on their 8-year-old who is talking to a paleontologist about a real dinosaur fossil, says Kim Harms, director of public and media relations. But the earlier you make the trip, the better.

The museum's centerpiece is Playscape, a massive exhibit on the third level just for children 5 and under and their siblings. Kids can launch balls from the Reaction Contraption, see things fly through the Whirly Twirly Tower, and grab a net to explore the pond habitat.

Thoughtful conveniences include:

• Hand-gel stations
• Family bathrooms
• Child-size toilets
• Nursing rooms

These amenities are right in the space, making the outing less stressful for you, too.

Gilroy Gardens Family Theme Park

Started as a tree sanctuary, Gilroy Gardens Family Theme Park in Gilroy, California, has become a haven for the stroller crowd (Think: ages 2 to 6). "One of my biggest regrets is that I waited until my kids were 4 and 7 to do it," says Peter Hartlaub, pop-culture critic for the San Francisco Chronicle. "I thought it was going to be cheesy, but it was awesome."

Most of the park's gentle rides are themed around fruits and veggies, so your kiddos can twirl in garlic bulbs, spin in strawberries, or hop on the mushroom swings. "You don't have to worry about teenagers mowing down your kids, and there's never much of a line," Hartlaub says.

By eliminating turnstiles, the park also made getting on the rides easier for families with strollers. It opened a water area where kids might get sprayed by a flower or misted by a pop-up geyser.

Check the park's calendar before you go—in the fall, it's generally open only on weekends.

The Polar Express Train Ride

Inspired by the classic holiday book, railroads in more than 40 cities nationwide offer hour-long Polar Express train rides that feature a reading from the book and a visit with Santa—perfect for kids ages 4 to 9. Many of the railroads also supply a cup of hot chocolate, cookies, and a gift from Santa (just like in the story).

Walt Disney World and Disneyland

Your kids might never outgrow wanting to hang out at Disney's parks in Orlando, Florida and Anaheim, California. But there is a short window when their reaction to meeting their favorite characters is so joyful and endearing that it'll make it worth all the time and money you spent to get there. As a result, it's naturally one of the best vacations for kids.

You can save money on your Disney vacation by going when kids are younger, too. That's because if you go when the kids are 10 or older, you'll have to pay adult prices for their tickets and meals.

Use the free My Disney Experience app to find updated character locations for Disney World.

"You can reserve FastPass+ in advance of your trip: It's essential to see Anna, Elsa, Cinderella, and Rapunzel in Princess Fairytale Hall—otherwise, the wait could be three to five hours," says Len Testa, founder of Touring Plans, a website and app that provides itineraries for seeing the parks.

Lion Country Safari

Head about 20 miles west of downtown West Palm Beach to enter another top vacation spot for kids. At Lion Country Safari in Loxahatchee, Florida, you'll find a nearly 600-acre safari and adventure park where kids can see and interact with some of their favorite animals.

Pack plenty of water and snacks for the hour-and-a-half drive through the seven natural habitats, where you'll see zebras, giraffes, ostriches, lions, and more. Then park and explore the adventure park where your little ones will love the Rio Grande Train and carousel.

This destination is perfect for kids ages 2 to 10. The youngest of the group might be most excited about the petting zoo and giraffe feeding area. Meanwhile, older kids will probably want to spend the entire day at the water park with splash pads, waterfalls, and loop water slides.

Monterey Bay Aquarium

This famous aquarium, about two hours south of San Francisco in Monterey, California, appeals to all ages, but the sweet spot may be ages 1 to 8. Its incredible Splash Zone section—with crawl-through tunnels, textured walls, and low exhibit windows—makes it one of the best vacation destinations for young kids.

Among the 45 interactive exhibits at Monterey Bay Aquarium, kids will find the following:

• Pull-out plush eels to play with next to living moray eels
• Touch pools with sea urchins, abalones, and other creatures
• A dress-up area where they can put on a sea-horse costume next to a tank with actual sea horses
• Games, knobs, buttons, and levers galore relating to sea life

The exhibit also offers Coral Reef Kingdom, a cornered-off padded section for kids under 34 inches. (Combine with a trip to Gilroy Gardens and make it a long weekend!)

The Crayola Experience

About 80 miles from Philadelphia in Easton, Pennsylvania, you'll find the Crayola Experience. Most of the 25 attractions in this crafty kids' paradise are surprisingly high-tech and great for kids ages 4 to 9. Here, kids can do the following:

• Create digital works of art and project them onto a bigger screen
• Use computers to print their crayon labels (with the name of their choice)
• Generate an image of themselves as a coloring page using a Photobooth

The story of how crayons are made is partially animated, so it's more engaging than ever. But despite all this, double-digit kids will lose interest quickly unless they're super artsy.

Keystone Resort

Keystone Resort is a mountain retreat about 90 miles west of the Denver airport in Keystone, Colorado, where kids have their own life-size snow castle to explore when they hop off the gondola at Dercum Mountain.

"My 9-year-old's jaw dropped when he saw it," says Amy Whitley, founder of the website Pit Stops for Kids. "It's elaborate, featuring tunnels, a lookout tower, ice slides, and an ice sculpture throne. Take a picture on the throne."

The castle is part of Keystone's Kidtopia program, including Saturday afternoon parades with a mascot and cookies.